As veteran producer Joe Boyd points out in his essential booklet notes, simple arithmetic suggests more people hear the songs of Nick Drake every month of the 21st century than listened to them in the brief candle of his working live almost 50 years ago.
His tunes are staples of every guitar strummer who has the chops, and have provided fascinating excursions for improvising musicians.
This album, recorded live at performances in Melbourne and London, documents the project to explore that repertoire which visited Celtic Connections. Boyd's only stipulation on the rolling cast of singers was that none of them should try to sound like Drake, and that is the strength of the final package. Green Gartside's Fruit Tree, Lisa Hannigan's Black Eyed Dog and Shane Nicholson's Poor Boy could hardly be more distinct in their approach. Other contributions – such as Teddy Thompson and Krystle Warren's duet on Pink Moon – have claims to becoming as definitive as the original.
Just as crucial are the instrumentalists, including bassist Danny Thompson, but especially jazz pianist Zoe Rahman, who is on magnificent empathetic form.
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